Plays and Pinot: Bedroom Farce

Synopsis Trevor and Susannah, whose marriage is on the rocks, inflict their miseries on their nearest and dearest: three couples whose own relationships are tenuous at best. Taking place sequentially in the three beleaguered couples’ bedrooms during one endless Saturday night of co-dependence and dysfunction, beds, tempers, and domestic order are ruffled, leading all the players to a hilariously touching epiphany.

About the Playwright Alan Ayckbourn, in full Sir Alan Ayckbourn, (born April 12, 1939, London, England), is a successful and prolific British playwright, whose works—mostly farces and comedies—deal with marital and class conflicts and point out the fears and weaknesses of the English lower-middle class. He wrote more than 80 plays and other entertainments, most of which were first staged at the Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough, Yorkshire, England. At age 15 Ayckbourn acted in school productions of William Shakespeare, and he began his professional acting career with the Stephen Joseph Company in Scarborough. When Ayckbourn wanted better roles to play, Joseph told him to write a part for himself in a play that the company would mount if it had merit. Ayckbourn produced his earliest plays in 1959–61 under the pseudonym Roland Allen. His plays—many of which were performed years before they were published—included Relatively Speaking (1968), Mixed Doubles: An Entertainment on Marriage (1970), How the Other Half Loves (1971), the trilogy The Norman Conquests (1973), Absurd Person Singular (1974), Intimate Exchanges (1985), Mr. A’s Amazing Maze Plays (1989), Body Language (1990), Invisible Friends (1991), Communicating Doors (1995), Comic Potential (1999), The Boy Who Fell into a Book (2000), and the trilogy Damsels in Distress (2002). In 2002 he published a work of advice and instruction for aspiring playwrights and directors, The Crafty Art of Playmaking. After suffering a stroke in 2006, Ayckbourn limited his activities, though he soon resumed writing. In 2009 he stepped down as artistic director of the Stephen Joseph Theatre, a post he had held since 1972. He later directed (2014) a musical version of The Boy Who Fell into a Book. His numerous honours include Laurence Olivier (2009) and Tony (2010) awards for lifetime achievement. Ayckbourn was knighted in 1997.

Characters

Ernest Long suffering husband to Delia. Conservative, traditional, affable, old fashioned, tolerant

Delia Wife to Ernest. Fussy, traditional, conservative, confident, self-assured, elegant, respectable

Nick Husband to Jan. Insecure, injured, bed-ridden, intellectual, short-tempered, sarcastic, sttention seeker

Jan Wife to Nick. Dominant, Intellectual, Impatient, Attractive, Sexy, Frustrated, Proud

Malcolm Married to Kate. Traditional, Macho, Immature, Light-Hearted, Playful, Loving, Sulky

Kate Married to Malcolm. Attractive, Sweet Natured, Gentle, Kind, Supportive, Naïve, Traditional, Playful

Trevor Son of Ernest and Delia. Sarcastic, Self-Obsessed, Insecure, Volatile Temper, Narcissistic, Worrier

Susannah Trevor’s wife. Struggling, Neurotic, Self-Obsessed, Worrier, Insecure, Inferiority Complex, Fiery Temper, Highly Strung

References: Britannica.com